Courtly Persistence
by Witty Teacup
Summary: Matthew Williams is a just regular guy, struggling to finally make his own light and regain forgotten happiness when he meets Gilbert Beilschmidt, an odd, albino man who won't seem to give up on getting a date. PruCan, AU.
1. The Seemingly Unbreakable Cycle

_Bring…! Bring…! Bring…!_

Matthew Williams groaned inwardly, shifting in his bed and succeeded in tangling himself in his sheets. He groped the nightstand blindly for a moment, smacking down all over the place until finally he grabbed something that remotely felt like his spectacles, and put them clumsily on his face. He sat up, and even with them on; he squinted, and read the beeping clock.

_6:30 am. _

Matthew swore in his French tongue, smacking down the snooze button to turn off the excessive racket, and plopped back down. He lay there for a long moment, before sighing, and sitting back up. He brushed his blond locks out of his face, and pulled back the covers, exposing his pajamas. The boy swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and stood up, before walking towards the bathroom.

The Canadian pulled the sink handle, and splashed the icy water on his face. He shivered a bit, and blinked a few times, letting out another soft sigh. After another few splashes, he grabbed a towel and wiped his face, and set about the rest of his morning activities.

Matthew quickly changed, lazily slinging on his jacket and wrapping his scarf around his neck loosely before grabbing the piece of toast he'd popped moments before. It was a bit cold, but he really didn't have time to care as he sped out of the house, fiddling with his keys and locking the door. He got down to his car, and unlocked the door, sitting down and starting the engine.

He put it in drive, and pulled out, and began to go down the street.

Matthew Williams is a nineteen-year-old Canadian who lives in an apartment complex with his brother. He graduated high school with a near perfect attendance rate, and also made honors. He is the younger brother, with divorced parents who passed away in the recent months, and currently holds a job at a local restaurant to pay the rent.

He's got a few good friends like Antonio, the Spanish boy working at the restaurant with him. There's also his high school friend Victoria, a girl who tended to keep him company on his lunch break. Then there was Alfred, his brother, who naturally he trusted with most things despite how forgetful he could be. He didn't mind, for in the end he had a big heart and, usually, his intentions were good. He considered his cousin a bit of a friend, though he seemed to be a flirt, he had helped Matthew out a lot recently.

Matthew did not trust a lot of people, so the few he did lend his trust out to were very fortunate, as once you earned his trust, it was very, _very _hard to lose it.

The drive to work wasn't long, but it wasn't as short as he would've liked it to be. It was just long enough to make him think too much, but too short for him to be able to convince himself otherwise. It also just long enough for him to remember that his brother was almost never home anymore, and how he needed to call him, but it was too short because he always arrived before he could.

He pulled into the parking lot and eased into one of the many vacant spaces, putting it into park and opened the door. Matthew locked his car and walked inside, not surprised that the doors were already open.

Matthew brushed another strand or two away from his violet eyes as he smiled upon the sight of the place already ready to open.

"Oh~! Buenos días, Mateo!" a slightly accented voice chirped happily.

The Canadian laughed lightly, turning and meeting the face of one of his co-workers. "Good morning, Antonio. I'm amazed that you came so early and set up. Where do you get all this energy?"

Antonio beamed brightly, fully and wide-awake. "Oh, I don't know! I just feel great today! I just woke up and thought, 'Wow, it's going to be an amazing day!' you know~?"

"I'll take your word for it. I just wish you could share some of that sometimes…" Matthew yawned.

The Spanish man tilted his head. "Does Mateo not feel well~? Oh, I know! I'll give you a cheer up charm!"

"No, no Antonio it's really fin-"

In an instant, Antonio held his hands up in front of the Canadian, and moved them back in forth in front of his face. "Fusosososososo~"

Matthew couldn't help but just crack a grin. He waved his hands away, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, I feel better okay? Thank you, Tonio."

"Sí, sí! Anything for mi amigo!"

Matthew walked into the back room and put his uniform on, and came back out moments later. He sat down next to Antonio in one of the unoccupied seats, and they chatted for a while as other employees showed up. Soon, time passed all too quickly, and work had to begin.

The morning was relatively slow as always, the afternoon was busy as always, and the early night moderate. It was a cycle of sorts, to be completed five and a half days a week, over and over.

Antonio was in charge of locking up that night, but Matthew stayed after to help out. The closed the place up and after a few hugs, the Canadian changed and went back home that evening.

Again with the drive, Matthew convinced himself if Alfred were _not _home when he returned, he would call him persistently until he answered. This he swore upon over and over as he pulled up and parked, locking his car and walking up to the apartment.

He fumbled with his keys for a moment and stuck it in the lock, and opened the door. It was dark, not a good sign, Matthew noted. A quick flip of a switch illuminated the room, and he called out softly.

"Alfred? Are you here?"

No answer was received. The boy tried again. "Alfred! Hey!"

Still nothing. Matthew scoffed a bit, shaking his head as he pulled out his cell phone. He flipped through his contacts and selected his brother's name from the list, and dialed it, letting it ring.

The first try went to voicemail, Alfred's obnoxious voice blaring, _Hey! This is the phone of the __**awesome **__Alfred Jones! I totally can't reach you right now but if you leave your name and number I'll definitely get back to you!_

The second try rang, but it felt like it was answered and then closed right on spot. It was like Alfred knew it was him but was ignoring him.

The third try he finally got an answer.

_"Hey, Mattie!" _his voice sang happily. Peppy as always, Matthew remembered.

"Hey Al, listen…do you even plan on coming back to the apartment anytime soon? I mean…you've been gone for a while now…" he began, until a voice interrupted in the background.

_"Who are you talking to Alfred?" _

The voice sounded distinctly of foreign accent, English presumably. He heard the phone shuffle a bit. "_No one babe, just my brother. Anyways Mattie, sorry, I'm real sorry. I've been staying with Arti- my friend Arthur. I probably should've let you know, so again, sorry. I mean I can come home if you-"_

"No, it's fine Al. You can stay there. I don't mind at all. Just, call me next time alright? I was getting worried…" Matthew mumbled.

There was a short pause on the other end. _"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow bro. Love you…" _

"Love you too."

With those parting words, both sides of the line went dead, Matthew hanging up his end, and Alfred his. A long sigh escaped the Canadian's lips, as he kicked off his shoes and leaned against the door.

The boy sat there for a while, the time ticking away from him slowly before he finally rose, and sat on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. He closed his eyes, and letting the sweet, melancholic images of before swirl in his mind.

Today was just another day in that cycle called life. It was no different than any other day he'd experienced in the recent comings.

But all cycles are meant to be broken eventually.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey cool, back to PruCan! :D<strong>

**So, I regret to inform anyone reading my story _Game Guard _that it'll be undergoing a hiatus. I want to rewrite it and adjust the plot a bit so it'll be better fit what I had in mind. Hopefully, it'll be up and running again soon C:**

**But in the meantime, I shall be updating THIS in its place. I'm sorry if this chapter seems slow and boring :C It's a setup chapter plus I'm working with description, so...but nonetheless, I hope to see you all next chapter!**

**Read and Review~?**

**-IchigoMelon**


	2. I Just Want Your Name, Birdie

The morning came too fast, like everything seemed to nowadays, and Matthew did not welcome the sound of the beeping alarm clock yet again. In the same sluggish manner as before, he grabbed his glasses and put them on, and quickly realizing the time, he rushed up and headed into the bathroom.

He was already late today, he concluded quickly. It was only Tuesday morning and he was already late for work. It was usually days like Monday or Friday that he was late. He didn't even have time to eat breakfast or even grab something to munch on for the drive as he quickly locked up and headed down to his car. Matthew started the vehicle and drove off as fast as he could without breaking any laws.

It took all Matthew had to keep his eyes open on the drive. The Canadian was overly tired, despite the cold, and continuously groaned every time the car bumped a bit. He was irritated, he was late, he was everything but ready to tackle his day. He was even too tired to think at all, not even to care about anything at the given time.

He drove to work in silence.

Matthew arrived at the restaurant a while later, still groggily and annoyed as ever. He hurried inside, and quickly set about, not stopping to talk to anyone as he rushed to get ready in the back room. Antonio poked his head in.

"Oh, Mateo you're late! But don't worry, I covered for you! You're not in trouble or anything!" he gave a sickeningly happy grin.

Matthew wanted to yell at him, but couldn't bring himself to do so because of the kind deed he did to cover for him. A lot of the employees around in the restaurant were quite close, and tended to step in for one of their friends if something had gone wrong. Antonio must've done that for Matthew.

If there was something odd about Antonio, it was that a lot of the time he seemed quite childish. It was almost like Antonio never grew up, like he had a bit of a young mind that saw the world through the eyes of a child. He was always looking on the best side, and almost never was he upset or more or less acting as a grown-up. There were a few rare moments where he took charge, but as it was stated, it was rare.

The Canadian smiled lightly, and pat the Spanish man on the shoulder. "Thank you, I very much appreciate it, Tonio."

"Si, si! You're welcome!"

With that the brunette walked out, and Matthew followed shortly after. He took the register, and waited as the quiet morning rolled on.

* * *

><p>The lunch hour had yet to fully kick in, yet the place was still too crowded for Matthew's tastes. It was loud and too upbeat, boisterous laughter and chunk of food spewed all over, causing him to wince every time someone laughed and cringe ever time he saw someone spit their food.<p>

The doors opened and Matthew perked his head up to get a look at whoever decided to enter. His eyes scanned the features quickly, like he always did with someone whom he didn't recognize. Which was a lot.

The man was tall, not overly so, but he was definitely not classified as short. He had short, silvery hair that was a bit tasseled, possibly from wind, or maybe it was natural. His eyes, upon better view, were a scarlet shade, sharp with a glint of mischief dancing inside. He wore a navy blue jacket, rolled up at the forearm to his elbow, with the hood pulled down, the zipper halfway up, revealing a bit of the shirt with an unidentifiable name written across. His jeans were long and also dark, with a pair of well worn shoes that had clearly seen better days, and the rims may have been white once, but they were so scuffed it didn't appear so anymore. Upon his lips was a smirk, one that most certainly spelled trouble by any eye.

The silver haired stranger approached the counter, and Matthew put up a small smile. "Hello, can I take your order, please?"

At first, the man said nothing, his eyes looking over him, and quite honestly the Canadian felt a bit uncomfortable with the way he was staring. He cleared his throat, and shifted his feet a bit, letting his smile falter for a split second.

"Sir, are you alrig-"

"How about a name?"

The question made him pause. The blond tilted his head a bit, staring at him curiously. "I…beg your pardon?"

The man's smirk only widened at the question response. He leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on the countertop and put his chin into his palm, glancing up at him. He drummed his fingers lightly on the table. "Can I get your name, instead?"

"My…name…? But…why?" Matthew asked honestly. Really, what was with this guy?

He let out an odd laugh, something he'd never heard before that sounded something like, _"Kesesesesese~"_, though the Canadian wasn't sure. The man straightened himself out again, and winked at him. "Because you're cute. I want your name, Birdie."

Matthew felt himself groan softly. His smile faded and it was replaced quickly with an unhappy frown. He crossed his arms, and shook his head slowly. "Oh, no. I'm sorry sir, but if you're not going to buy anything I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

For the first time since he'd seen him, which hadn't been long, the man frowned along with him. "Aww, come on. Just tell me your name."

"No. Now, please, will you be purchasing something?"

The albino scoffed a bit, clearly growing irritated by the flat out rejection. He crossed his own arms to match him, and declared a bit loudly, "Why not?"

Matthew pursed his lips. "Because my name is of no relevance for the customer, at current. You can leave now, sir."

"Gilbert."

"What?"

His grin returned. "I'm Gilbert, Gilbert Beilschmidt. Is that what you wanted me to do? To introduce myself first?"

The Canadian sighed. "Not really. I couldn't care less honestly…" he mumbled.

"Just tell me your name!"

"Not a chance."

"Please?"

"No."

"Just your first name?"

"No!"

Gilbert let out a frustrated sigh. "You're making this sound like I'm trying to figure out your Social Security number or something. I just want to know your name, just your first name will do! How hard is _that_?"

"Quite due to the fact that I have entirely no clue who you are nor your infatuation with learning my name. Now, please, leave."

"I just think you're attractive, and I want to know what to call you, is that bad?"

"Are you hitting on me?"

Another wide smirk. "Would you reject me if I said yeah?"

"Probably."

Gilbert's shoulders slumped, looking a bit deflated and dejected. But then his smile returned. "Would you even consider letting me take you out for coffee or something?"

"Nope."

"What!"

Matthew slapped his hands to his face. This guy was _really _getting on his nerves. Didn't he understand that he was seriously _not _interested in going out with _anyone _or revealing his name? "Sir, Gilbert, whatever it is you'd like me to call you, I have no intention of going anywhere with you nor revealing what I am called so if you will _kindly _exit the restaurant I would _highly _appreciate it."

"I'm not going to give up, you know."

"The exit is that way."

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"_That, _way."

"Catch you later, Birdie~" Gilbert winked again, and blew a kiss at him before laughing in the same way as he did before, casually making his way out with his hands in his pockets.

The Canadian rubbed his temples, and concluded that if he never did before, he _officially _hated his job now.

But the worst part was, somehow he knew that the mysterious Gilbert Beilschmidt would keep his word, and appear tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>Enter, Gilbert. C: <strong>

**So, I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter for some reason. I don't know, maybe it was because Gilbert's entrance was just quite amusing. Either that, or I just missed writing Gilbert in general...yeah X****D**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you in Chapter Three! **

**Also, I have a writing blog that I shall be posting ideas, snippets, deleted scenes, and drafts on, so if you're interested in any of my works or this one in particular, you can follow me! :D The name is silentwhitenoise . tumblr . com (no spaces)  
><strong>

** I'd appreciate it very much if you could read and review~ also, thank you for all of the favorites and alerts as well! They all meant a great deal to me. :)**

**-IchigoMelon**


	3. Give It A Go

And Gilbert did keep his word.

Wednesday afternoon he came, prepared for anything and everything that Matthew had to throw at him. If Matthew came out with some snide remark, he'd counter it on the spot. If he just flat out told him to leave, he only stayed firmly planted in his place. If Matthew told him he wasn't interested in dating, Gilbert retorted with a simple coffee date. By the end, the only one who was disappointed was Matthew.

Thursday was similar, to say the least. The only difference was it was after hours, and it wasn't Gilbert directly that came. It was Antonio who'd come to him and handed him a selection of cards, all addressed to him without a return address, though Matthew had a pretty good idea who they were from. All of them had sweet nothings written on them.

There were three cards in all, the first one read this:

_Birdie, sweet Birdie, your hair is as golden as the sun, your eyes the color of the richest amethysts I've ever seen. Oh Birdie, what a beauty I've been blessed to see, dear Birdie, you must be an angel, tossed from Heaven's gates because you were too great, and jealousy sparked. Birdie, oh Birdie, will you let me make you mine?_

Despite how much he refused to like him, Matthew did find it very sweet. He quickly read the second one.

_Roses are red, _

_ Violets are blue,_

_ You think I'm a creep,_

_ But I love you. _

It was short, and it was kind of sweet. It gave the Canadian more of a laugh than anything, because it was kind of truthful. There were little doodles at the bottom to fill up space, he noticed. He didn't necessarily think Gilbert was a creep, but he didn't think him to be a friendly man either. The blond sighed, and read the last one.

_"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and let it come in."_

_~Morrie Schwartz _

_You won't know until you try, give me a shot Birdie?_

Matthew ran his hand through his blond locks, his hair entangling in between his fingers as he sighed. He tucked the three cards under his arm, and locked the place up, before going to his car and opening it up, tossing the paper crafts into the passenger seat of the car, and headed home to an empty house yet again.

Friday however, Friday went a lot different.

Friday started stressful, being unusually busy and Matthew had gotten to bed at a horrible hour for some odd and unknown reason. He was surprised he made it to work on time in his sluggish behavior, but he did nonetheless, and he got started.

It took all of his willpower not to fall asleep on the job, and he had to go into the bathroom to splash his face with cold water several times just to stay moderately awake.

It had quieted down immensely by the time Gilbert arrived.

He came up to the counter and leaned on it as he had the first time, and grinned at him. "Afternoon, Birdie."

The Canadian sighed, crossing his arms upon seeing him. He may have been tired, but he wasn't disoriented enough to not at least put up a bit of a fight. "Are you here to actually buy something today or are you just going to harass me more?"

Gilbert sighed. "Look, I want to make it up to you. I like you, a lot. Can we start over?"

He extended his hand. "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, I'm twenty-one and I'm from Germany, _Prussia_, specifically, but you get my point. Despite what I look like, I graduated from high school, and I'm currently in college. And you?"

Matthew watched him closely, trying to pick out any sort of lie or trick out of this, but couldn't seem to find any. Despite how truthful he seemed to be, he couldn't bring himself to tell such details, but out of politeness, he took his hand. "Matthew."

"Matthew?"

"That's my name. Matthew. If you'd been smart you could've read the nametag," he pointed to the nametag on his shirt.

The albino man grinned, and began laughed as he took his hand back. "Shit man, I went through all that trouble and it was on your shirt the whole time? Well, I guess I know now, but I still think Birdie is cute on you. So does this mean you trust me now?"

"Not really…but I'll believe you when you say who you are. Unless, you give me a reason not to…"

Matthew then leaned on the counter. "But let's get something straight here, I have _no _plans to be getting into a relationship right now. I don't know why you're so dead set on it, but I don't want to be involved with anyone right now, so if you could stop trying, I'd _really _appreciate it."

For a long moment Gilbert stared, listening to his words carefully until he finally said, "I never said I wanted a relationship from the start, I just wanted to take you out for coffee."

He shrugged. "But take it how you please. I'm not going to quit trying. If you go out with me once, and you don't like me, I promise I'll stop. So, what do you say?"

"No."

"No? Come on, just once, that's all I'm asking."

Matthew shook his head. "There are a few problems with this scenario. I have work and I have a brother to be looking out for. I don't have time to be going out with you, or anyone else for that matter."

"I can do it after work? If you tell me when you get off I can pick you up, or when are you free again? Surely you have vacationing days or at least one day you're off. We can work around it."

"Please, stop."

Gilbert frowned, before jamming his fists into his jacket pockets. _The same jacket he had on the first time_, Matthew noted unconsciously. "I'm going to be back every day until you give me a shot, so don't say I didn't warn you. Just once, one date Matthew, and if you don't like me I'll walk out of your life and never come back."

"Then you're going to be here a lot."

He waved his hands. "However long it takes. Catch you tomorrow, Birdie~"

The albino walked out, the door making a bit of a jingle as he did. Matthew watched him leave, and continued to watch until he was completely out of sight before getting caught up in his thoughts. Why did he keep trying? What drove him forward? What made him want to date him so bad? What stood out about him from everyone else?

"Mateo~?"

He jumped, turning to the smiling brunette. "Oh, Antonio, something up?"

"No, you just looked all spaced out~ everything okay~?" Antonio responded, flailing his hands a bit as he said 'spaced out'.

The Canadian nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"If you say so~ say, how's Alfredo doing~?"

A million responses flew through his mind upon hearing that question. _Better than me. Happy. Off with his boyfriend. Forgetting he has a brother who's struggling to keep everything normal. Well. Completely carefree._

"Ah, Alfred's doing fine. Thanks for asking."

"Oh, no problem! Tell him I said hi, okay? He remembers me right?"

Matthew couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Of course he remembers you. I'll tell him when I get home. Now, I think we probably should stop talking and get going huh?"

"_Si, si_, let's get moving!"

The day continued like normal from there on out, proceeding without incident or any rupture in the schedule. It was Antonio's turn to lock up that evening, so Matthew went on home, collapsing inside as he did. He called Alfred once, leaving him a short message along with Antonio's hello before deciding to head to bed early. But right before he slept, he found a piece of paper, and wrote down a few feelings as if it were a journal.

_I don't know if I should trust Gilbert. I know I should stop running, and I know I should stop hiding, but I'm not sure if I can. There's just so much to be unsure of. But maybe Gilbert means well…I don't know. I just wish that it were possible for me to know. Should I give him a chance? But what if it ends horribly? But at the same time…what if it ends wonderfully? _

_ Should I give it a go? _

With that short little paragraph, he folded the paper into an airplane, and threw it across the small room, watching it land in the corner, before lying down, and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh sweet god, I'm so terribly sorry for the lateness and the fail of this. This is the my second time rewriting this chapter. So I'm <em>really <em>sorry if it sounds bad. But please try and enjoy anyway ^^**

**Thanks for reading~ Review please!**

**-IchigoMelon**


	4. Here's My Number, Take It, and Go Away

Friday morning Matthew was about ready to just give up.

Everything, and he meant _everything _had gone wrong this morning. His morning had started rough when he woke up about _three hours early_, and failing at going back to sleep. When he finally decided to make breakfast, the stove decided it was going to go haywire and just burn anything that dared to touch the pan. Not to mention that by some odd force he opened the closet door to get dressed and it ended up slamming him in the face.

When he'd finally managed to get himself straight he was _thrilled_ to learn that it was raining cats and dogs outside his house and he hadn't even noticed until he rushed out the door, successfully getting himself soaked in the downpour. He decided not to go back into the house and get an umbrella, and hopped into his car completely wet.

The drive to work was horrible because the speeds of every car had to be taken slow considering the immensely wet road. Plus, he was living in constant fear that some idiot was going to come and crash right into him and kill him on the spot.

And he still had a _whole _day to go.

He walked into the restaurant soaked to the bone and cold, glaring at anyone who dared look his way. Of course, there was the unsuspecting Antonio as always, with his bright and cheery smile who seemed able to just keep a positive attitude through any and everything.

"Morning, Mateo! Oh…you look wet! Forget your umbrella?" he chirped as he walked by.

"Mmm…" Matthew grumbled softly, not having the heart to just lash out at him, but also having the inability to be terribly kind. "It's not my morning."

"Ah, that's understandable! Well, don't worry! It's supposed to clear up later today! So the sunshine will be back and you can be happy again!" Antonio grinned, pointing to his cheeks to indicate his smile.

Matthew almost wanted to punch him. Almost. Instead, he nodded softly and got ready to begin the day.

As the day progressed on slowly, he glanced around the place, identifying the features of the few that were there. It was moderately busy, a few people strewn in one part of the restaurant while others congregated in the middle and in the window seats. Some people were in parties, while others were by their lonesome.

He caught the sight of two males, twins it looked like, one with auburn hair and a small curl sticking it from the left, while the other's hair was a bit darker, with a curl to the right. The darker haired one wore a scowl on his face, while the lighter haired one smiled like there was no tomorrow.

Matthew glanced back to see Antonio peering from inside, and found a bit of amusement.

"Antonio?"

The brunette jumped, and his jade eyes fell to him. "Y-yeah?"

"Who are you staring at?"

The Canadian could've burst out laughing at the look of embarrassment on his face. His tan face seemed to catch fire as he shifted a bit, looking away.

"N-no one."

"Come on, you trust me. Just tell me, who caught your eye?"

Antonio looked hesitant, but slowly a quirky, goofy sort of grin crossed his lips. He pointed to the darker haired twin that he'd noticed earlier, and his cheeks went redder if that were even possible.

"Him."

If the boy hadn't looked so mean and hateful, Matthew would've said that the gesture was adorable. He pointed, following him. "_Him_?"

"_Si, _him."

There was a small, tense pause. Antonio shifted feet back in forth, as if wondering if the Canadian was going to scold him or give him his opinion. "He looks…a little mean doesn't he?"

When his face fell, Matthew quickly corrected his error. "B-but! I mean, he looks perfect for you! He comes here a lot, why not talk to him?"

Antonio eyes went wide and he shook his head vigorously. "Oh, no, no, no! I could never do that! I-I mean…well…no!"

The blond laughed, shaking his head. It felt good to laugh for the first time today. "I think you should, but the choice is yours."

"Speaking of watching, Mateo, that reminds me. I'm supposed to give these to you…"

Matthew blinked as more cards were put into his hands, all of them from Gilbert. His mood suddenly dropped a bit, refilling with a bit of annoyance and irritation. Hadn't he told he wasn't interested? But instead of being horrible and chucking them all, he leaned against the counter and read them, seeing as he had nothing better to do.

There were four. The first one read the following:

_You and me, I know we're meant to be. Give me a chance, my sweet Birdie._

The second one read the following:

_I don't know which is prettier today, the stars, the sky, or your eyes._

The third one read the following:

_"There is no remedy for love than to love more."_

_ ~David Henry Thoreau_

_ So what else can I say, Matthew?_

The fourth one read the following:

_Please give me just one shot?_

Around all of the cards were doodles pertaining to whatever the card said. The words were sweet, and Matthew couldn't help but just adore them. The man was trying _so _hard to get his love, and he didn't understand why. The more he thought about it the more he wondered if he was being silly with this. Should he just give it a chance?

He made up his mind by the time Gilbert arrived that evening.

When the albino walked in, he looked more or less normal. He didn't look happy or sad, and despite how Antonio had said it was supposed to clear up, it didn't. His hands were jammed into his pockets like always, and he looked to be a bit wet, with his hood drawn up. There were a few glances, and he approached the counter, but before he could say anything, Matthew grabbed him by the forearm, and forced his hand out of his pocket. He slapped something in his open hand, and made him close it.

"Here's my number. Take it, and go away. I'm off tomorrow after 2 PM, and I'm also off on Sunday," the Canadian said firmly, meeting his eyes.

The look on Gilbert's face was so amusing Matthew actually felt good about handing over his number like that. He nodded quickly, and his grin was wider than he'd ever seen it.

"Oh _gott_! Finally! I'll definitely call you, okay? Be ready for the most _awesome _date of your life!" he cried, before literally _dancing _out again. It appeared his only reason for coming was, again, him.

The soft laugh that escaped his lips was enough for him to feel like this choice was okay.

* * *

><p>That evening Alfred came back for once. When he arrived and he saw Matthew, practically attacked him in a hug. "Mattie!"<p>

The Canadian struggled to stay on his feet from the impact, as he slowly wrapped his arms back around him. "Aha…hey Al."

"How's my favorite little brother?"

"I'm your only little brother, and just fine."

Matthew didn't bother asking how he was. He knew he would tell him anyway, and about everything he did while he was gone from the apartment. Sure enough, they sat down on the couch and the younger let him talk the night away, despite how tired he was. Somewhere deep down he didn't really care that he was never home, just happy that he wasn't entirely alone.

"So, bro, I was thinking, you get off work around 2 tomorrow right? Wanna hang out?" Alfred asked, grinning as the two rose from their seat.

His mind flashed back to Gilbert briefly and how he hadn't called with a date and time yet. He figured, however, Alfred was more important. "Sure. I wouldn't mind."

"Great! We'll have so much fun! It's been ages since it was just us!"

_'Wonder who's fault that is…' _Matthew thought for a split second, before smiling and nodding. "Yeah, it has been."

The Canadian went to get ready for bed and the brothers split. Matthew quickly changed into something more sleep appropriate, and was ready to lie down when his phone went off. The familiar tune was enough to make him get up and get it, answering it quickly. "Hello?"

_"Birdie! Oh good, you gave me your real number. I was afraid you didn't for a second there. Anyways, so I'll pick you up tomorrow after work okay?"_

His date with his brother interfered with that plan. "A-actually…I just made plans with my brother. So that's not going to work…"

There was a small pause before a voice that he could practically see the shrug that passed Gilbert's shoulders. _"Okay then. Sunday. I'll come pick you up. Or…wait. I have no idea where you live…so…meet me at the restaurant?"_

"A-alright…"

_"Awesome, see you then!" _

The phone line went dead, and Matthew stared at the blinking number for a few minutes until he finally set it down, and let his mind swirl a bit.

_What had he just gotten himself into?  
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><p><strong>AFTER FOREVER, CHAPTER FOUR.<strong>

**Holy crap, sorry for the delay on this guys! I got so wrapped up in other things I almost forgot to update, hopefully this will make up for it! Also, I started another story entitled _Collision Effect _if you like USUK and Pirates :D Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter and hope to see you in the next~**

**Thanks for reading, and review if you'd like~**

**-IchigoMelon  
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	5. Brotherly Advice

"Hey, Mattie? You seem a little...off. You okay?"

Matthew shook his head, blinking a bit as his mind wandered back to reality. He let out a small yawn from his mouth before offering a faint smile, tilting his head a bit. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Alfred chuckled lightly, pointing at his hand. "You're...kind of letting your ice cream melt."

It took Matthew a moment but he jumped a little bit upon realizing that Alfred was right, and he held out his hand away from him so the sticky, sweet substance wouldn't drip on him anymore than he already had. He found his napkin and took the cone into his other hand, then upon realizing that it didn't do much good, handed it to his brother.

It was sort of nice, sitting in the park and eating ice cream with his brother as though they were kids. It had been ages since the two of them had actually sat down and done _something _together, and even if Matthew half resented Alfred for not being around all the time, he couldn't help but enjoy this moment.

He began to wipe the ice cream off his hand when Alfred spoke up again. "You sure you're okay? I mean, no offense little brother, but you seem like, out there. Like outer space out there. What's bothering you?"

The Canadian shook his head again, folding the napkin up and clutching onto it in his hand. "It's nothing, really. Nothing you should worry about at least. I'm okay."

"Somehow, I don't believe you," Alfred rolled his eyes, giving him a not so gentle nudge with his elbow. "Come on, spit it out. What's shaking, man?"

Matthew scooted away just a bit for good measure. "It's just..." he bit his lip, thinking of what was proper to say and what wasn't.

Truth be told, there was a _lot _bothering him. First of all, it bothered him to no end that Alfred seemed to waltz in and out of his life without a care in the world, coming and going as he pleased, leaving Matthew to worry about the apartment all on his own. He rarely called to give him a heads up or left him a note, or even a text message. Which always left him to worry, even if Alfred always insisted that he was fine and that Arthur, his significant other, was kind enough every so often to give him a buzz. But that _shouldn't _have been Arthur's job. And that was quite annoying.

Then there was the matter of Matthew's date tomorrow. Sheesh, how long had it been since he'd been on a date? Actually, had he ever? He distinctly remembered one where he went out with a Ukrainian girl, whom he remembered to be very lovely and sweet, but the two of them mutually agreed that it felt off to both of them, and just decided to go back down to being friends. (Which he still was, they chatted and got together whenever time allowed.)

But nevertheless, how could he even tell Alfred about it? Sure, Alfred was his brother and all, but still, did that really mean he could tell him, and ask for advice? Alfred was rarely even _present _in his life save for the few visits here and there, like today. How could he trust him to answer honestly? He had a boyfriend, true, but it still felt off to ask advice. Alfred felt like sort of a stranger to him right now, at the very least.

"Alfred, I'm just...nervous, okay? Can we leave it at that?"

"What? No!" Alfred looked at the two ice cream cones in his hands longingly for a moment before throwing them down, earning a small scowl from the Canadian himself. Alfred put one of his now free hands on his shoulder, giving him the most concerned look he'd seen on him in ages. "Why are you nervous?"

The younger of the two shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. "I...I have a date tomorrow, all right? And I just haven't been on one in a really long time, not since Kat, so..."

The American grinned a bit. "That was ages ago. But lucky her! How'd you score that one, little brother?"

Matthew put his face in his hands. "It's not a _her_. It's a _he._"

"What?"

"It's a boy, Alfred! I'm going on a date with a boy."

There was a pause. "Oh...oh, oh, right," Alfred removed his hand from his shoulder, taking a small pause, as he laced his fingers together. He set them on his knees, shaking them gently. "Oh. Well, still, good for you!"

"You don't sound so happy anymore."

"No, no, I am, really, Matt," he quickly said, and then looked back to him. "You just surprised me, 's all. I mean, I totally thought you were into girls, no offense. But if you're into guys that's okay too! I mean look at Artie and I, come on I mean-"

"Alfred," Matthew interrupted. "It's not the fact that it's a boy I'm worried about. I don't think I love him. I'm not sure I even _like _him. He's just this guy that kept showing up at work, and he wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to go on a date with him. He told me to give him one try and he said if I didn't feel _anything _for him after that, he'd go away and leave me be. So finally I snapped and gave him my number."

He took a sharp inhale of breath, waiting for a retaliation before looking up, and he felt his heart sink as Alfred ran his fingers through his hair, clearly looking a bit distressed. "Matt..."

"I got nervous, okay? I mean, like I know how to handle that. He kept asking, what was I supposed to do?"

"Tell someone?"

"_Al.__"_

"What?" Alfred rolled his eyes again, tone changing slightly. "Mattie, you have no idea what this guy is like. For all you know he could be some drug dealer who plans to murder you after this so called "date". I don't like this, Mattie."

"He said his name is Gilbert and he's in college, though he didn't tell me his major. He's German and he's twenty-one."

"And you _believed_ him?"

"He didn't give me a reason not to."

Alfred let out an audible groan, clearly displeased with Matthew's course of action. He sat back on the park bench, putting his hands over his mouth, and let out a very agitated sounding sigh before sitting back up and glaring. "Jeez, Mattie. When he said he wanted to date you without knowing you, was a very good reason, thank you very much!"

"Says the guy who chased Arthur around like a puppy until he agreed to go to coffee!"

"That's different!"

"How so?"

He grabbed the Canadian by the shoulders and shook him lightly. "Matt! We're not talking about me! We're talking about _you_! This guy sounds completely insane, and I don't like the idea of you seeing him! Please cancel on him, and if he bothers you again, _I'll _deal with him."

Matthew pulled his hands off his shoulders. "Alfred, I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle this. Trust me, I'm not going anywhere with him where there aren't any people around. I'm making sure we're going to fully public places where he can't try anything. I'll be fine."

He could see how conflicted the American was in his eyes, how they seemed to shift left to right, almost as if in a frenzy. That was one thing he could at least trust about Alfred, he worried about him and for that, he was mostly grateful.

"...Okay. But if he tries anything, _anything_, you give me a buzz and I'll be there so fast...!"

"I got it Al, I got it."

Alfred gave him a soft, hesitant smile before ruffling his hair, and then his smile broadened to a grin. "Then I hope it goes well, little brother. I hope it goes well."

Matthew bit his lower lip, then returned the gesture with half the effort. "Me too."

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><p>After that, the brothers stuck around for a while to catch up with one another, talking about whatever and whenever they'd done things, Alfred's part of the conversation drifting back to Arthur somehow, which Matthew found both annoying and endearing all in one bundle.<p>

Matthew, usually stuck to how his own college work was going, and hinted on how he was struggling to maintain both the grades to pass and to work, which Alfred, if he noticed, kept quiet about. Matthew didn't honestly mind, for he couldn't think of anything worse than hearing some sort of sympathy from his elder brother.

Eventually, time waned and the brothers headed back, in which on the drive Alfred told Matthew about how his own schooling was going and how he'd gone from working at one place to another, apparently now working at some sort of music store. It would've been nice to know that earlier, Matthew thought, but Alfred promised that he would be home more often, though the younger decided not to hold his breath, just in case.

Other than that, Matthew was very content with just having his brother around. Being the only family he had left, he could hate him all he wanted while he was gone, but when he was around he drained the sweet water of having a family member to hang around with. As independent as he strove to be, it was nice to rely on someone for your happiness every now and again.

When finally night came, Matthew popped the question.

"Alfred?"

"Hm?"

He laced his fingers together, trying to keep himself from fidgeting. "Alfred, I know you don't want me seeing Gilbert and all, but...but is there any advice to...you know, get this to go well? Just in case I...do end up liking him?"

Matthew didn't think it would honestly happen, that he would like Gilbert, but he wanted to be prepared, just in case. He felt a little guilty for asking such a question, and could clearly see yet again how conflicted Alfred was, torn between giving good advice to help his younger brother, and protecting him all the same. But finally, he smiled, and then gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Just be yourself. Gotta love that."

And then, with nothing else, he went to bed, leaving Matthew to be frustrated, yet so happy with the answer.

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><p><strong>oH MY GOD<strong>

**So after nearly a year of not updating, I present to you (finally), the next installment of Courtly Persistence.  
><strong>

**You'll have to forgive me. I've just been seriously off my rocker with PruCan lately, but it's thankfully come back and it makes me so happy! I don't really know what happened, I got a burst of inspiration for this and decided to run with it, and then, about half an hour later, it's here!  
><strong>

**I'm actually really happy with the way this turned out (sorry it's not too long), but because I wanted to show that despite how Alfred's presence is not always in Matthew's life, that he really does strive to care because I have seen too many fics where he doesn't, which is opposite of what I think.  
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**So basically I wanted to take the time to use this chapter to sort of tie up a few loose ends, and establish some work between the brothers. Next chapter is the date! Which, will hopefully be longer.  
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**Also if I've made an error somewhere, please correct me! Like I said, it's been nearly a year and so much has happened lately. Plus, I do believe my writing style has changed quite a bit since I last wrote this, so hopefully you can overlook it.  
><strong>

**Anyway, to anyone who still reads this fic, I thank you, and hopefully this will keep you going until next update! Which will hopefully be very soon (PruCan to come!)  
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**Read and review~?  
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**-IchigoMelon  
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